1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tools and, more particularly, to a tool particularly suited for use in automotive body working.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automotive body working shops repair automotive vehicles that have suffered damage in some fashion. for example, automotive vehicles involved in collisions are conventionally repaired by the automotive body working shop in order to restore the automotive body to its original condition.
In many cases, particularly after the vehicle has been damaged in a collision, a body panel is bent from its normal condition. In these cases, it is necessary to bend the body panel back to its original position.
The previously known practices for bending body panels has been to utilize an elongated strap having a hook at one end and a ring at its other end. The hook is positioned so that it engages a rigid frame member or the like on the vehicle while a come-along is attached to the ring at the other end of the strap. When the come-along is activated to pull the ring, the strap, which abuts against the body panel, bends the body panel accordingly.
While these previously known straps have proven adequate for many different types of vehicles, many of the newer vehicles do not include a rigid frame member in which to attach the strap hook. Furthermore, it is not possible to attach the hook directly to the panel member itself since the panel member would be damaged upon activation of the come-along.